The Tick List

My brother had surgery at the height of our company’s growth and was not able to rest to the extent he needed. Ever since that point he has been struggling to reach his 100%. After 6 months of operating at 50-75% he reached his breaking point. He felt that his work was suffering, his relationships were suffering, his body was suffering, and his mental strength was unfortunately taking the biggest hit of all.
It really opened my eyes to something that everyone assumes they understand but have all fallen victim to. I sat back and reflected not as an employer but as a peer to try and get a grasp on how I could of done things differently. It made me realize that the only way to maintain a “white flame” level of performance in all aspects of your life is to constantly renew and grow your personal “tick list”.

So I pose this question to the world: How do you get to, and then maintain a “white flame level 100%" effort when life is as chaotic as it is?
After reflecting for a couple days, I sat down and re-visited my “tick list” and wrote down the steps of how I get to 100. The following work flow process shows how you can figure out what your 100% is and how to maintain it:
1. Take a day or a couple, and figure out what makes you tick. In your heart of hearts, you know what makes you and gets you to 100. After that, start writing. Dont stop! Dont put your pen down and think, just write. After you have exhausted all options that could make you feel complete, refine the list to your personal mantra.
2. After you know what makes you complete, create a personal business plan and a personal life plan to get your complete LIFE to 100. The business plan should outline your business goals, financial goals, and professional goals. Go out 5 years from now and imagine the following:
- What do you look like
- Where do you work
- What do you drive
- Who do you do business with
- How much money do you make
- Do you have any additional professional certifications or degrees
From there, breakdown how you are going to achieve the things you imagined. Break out your next 5 years into yearly goals. Then break out the yearly goals in to this year’s goals. What do you want to accomplish this year that will put you on track to hit your 5 year plan? Break your annual goals into monthly, weekly, and daily goals. It will give you a firm understanding of what type of life you will have to CREATE for yourself to be where you want to be. After you understand the professional side of your life, write out your personal plan. What do you need to do on a daily basis to be happy? How many vacations do you want to take? Where do you want to live? What hobbies do you want to have? Does your professional plan and personal plan make sense together? FYI...THEY BETTER MAKE SENSE TOGETHER! Combine the two plans and let everyone know what you need in your life to operate at 100
3. After you have created this amazing document and shouted it from the rooftops, get rid of anyone that doesn’t allow you get to or stay at your 100. Take a look around you and make sure you are surrounded with people that can be your checks and balances system and that support you in your quest to 100
4. Finally, Read your Life plan ATLEAST once a month. If you don’t, you will forget about it and fall back to mediocrityville which is a horrible place to live.

In the event that you fall below 100, take the necessary time to get back. If it means calling out sick one day of work...do it. If you stay below your optimal performance too long, it will be hard to get back. The longer you are there, the more everything in your life will suffer. And understand that is this is a working document. Your optimal 100% right now may not be your optimal 100 in a year. Continue to grow as a person and treat your brain like a sponge. Read books to get new points of view...you never know what is going to cause a paradigm shift. Humbling yourself and trying new things is critical to your personal growth. Do something completely new at least once a month that will not only open your eyes, but will give you a gut check and a new perspective. Life is not about the end result but the journey. Include these wild adventures in your life plan and always be open minded to new possibilities that present themselves.

This list is 6 years in the making and works for me. It may not work for you but use it as your starting point. You never know what is going to open your eyes...